Missing in Action: Kirby's Wii Adventure

Share.

After almost five years of waiting, will we ever see the release of Kirby's next home console platformer?

By Lucas M. Thomas

We don't know where Kirby went. Announced, then cancelled. Then announced again, then delayed. Currently still cropping up under the radar, mysteriously, on cryptic Japanese release date calendars. Yes, we don't know where Kirby went. But we're going to try to help him find his way back.

Kirby's Wii Adventure is what we're talking about, of course -- a game that was first announced as being in development for the GameCube back in 2004 before it fell into obscurity, and got onto the confusing rollercoaster ride it's been on ever since. The game will appear to be cancelled, we'll mourn its loss, and we'll move on. But then, inexplicably, it'll pop up again -- through some blogger's rumor report or even official Nintendo press releases. And then the waiting game is back on, until the whole cycle repeats itself. We've been through these ups and downs several times already through the past half decade.

And right now it looks like we're up again. That's because, once again, the latest release schedule issued forth just a few weeks ago from Nintendo in Japan referenced the game (called "Hoshi no Kirby" in that territory) and gave it the same release date it's been getting over and over again -- "next year." 2009. Just like it was once scheduled for 2008. And 2007. And 2006 before that.

Will we ever get to explore this sinister castle?

So what's the deal? Is Kirby's Wii Adventure actually on its way, or isn't it? Well, it's probably safe to say that the game does still exist, that it's still in development, and Nintendo actually does intend to eventually release it -- its continued appearance on NCL's release calendars is confirmation enough of that. And if that confirmation isn't enough for you, consider that this has actually all happened before with a console Kirby title -- Kirby Air Ride, which was originally announced before the launch of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, actually never made it to market until over seven years later in 2003. Kirby likes to take his time.

But with so much time having passed since the Adventure game's initial announcement in 2004, the question now becomes what form would it be in when and if it does arrive? Back on the GameCube, the game was first presented as being fairly traditional. A side-scrolling platformer starring the powerful pink powderpuff, running around and inhaling enemies, stealing their powers, and doing all the rest of the generally expected Kirby things. It appeared to be a straightforward follow-up to the then-previous-generation's last home console installment in the same series, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, using the updated Kirby graphics (and perhaps the same side-scrolling engine) from Super Smash Bros. Melee.

At the same time as it looked pretty run-off-the-mill, though, Kirby's GameCube Adventure promised new additions to the series' standard formula -- most notably, multiplayer. In a manner similar to the system first seen in the recently-remixed SNES Kirby Super Star, our rotund hero was set to once again have the ability to not only absorb enemies' abilities, but also gain their loyalty -- after inhaling a foe, the player controlling Kirby could choose to then expel that enemy back into the playing field as an ally. Computer AI would take command of the new foe-turned-friend if the game was running with just one human at the helm, but an additional second player could plug in a second controller and take command of the partner characters at any time too.

Two simultaneous players was the maximum only on the SNES, though -- the GameCube Adventure was ready to double that number, taking advantage of the purple console's four native controller ports to allow for four players to all work together at once. One player controlling Kirby and three others in command of his recruited friends, the playing field would be filled with rampaging, destructive, overly cute good guys.